Latch.



PATENTBD NOV. 6, 1906.

J. BROADBBLT.

LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED snr's. 7.190s.

ilk

Witnesses ns cc., wAsnmamN, n c.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH BROADBELT, OF ARNOLDS, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLESJ. SMITH, OF ARNOLDS, MARYLAND.

LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 6, 1906.

Application filed September '7, 1905. Serial 110.277.283-

To wZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH BROADBELT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Arnolds, in the county of Anne Arundel and State ofMaryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Latches,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in latches for gates and doors, andis particularly designed for use on barn-doors and farm-gates.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved construction oflatch that will be certain in its operation even when the door or gateis slammed, as must often be done when the operator has charge ofarestive horse that cannot be left unattended.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction of latchthat cannot be readily operated by horses or cattle.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 illustrates a front elevation of a portion of a door or gateprovided with my improved latch. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional planview of the same as would appear on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is avertical section of the latch in the locked position, the section beingtaken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is another vertical sectionshowing the latch in the position for the door or gate to be opened.Fig. 5 illustrates an other vertical section to show the position of thelocking-bolt when the door or gate is opened; and Fig. 6 is a sectionalview through the keeper, the section being taken on the line 6 6 of Fig.1.

In the drawings, 1 designates the door or gate, which is hung on hinges2 and to which my improved latch is applied. A horizontally-extendingbar 3 is rigidly secured to the gate or door, and one end 4 of this barprojects beyond the edge of the door and is provided with a horizontalslot 5, which when the door is closed has position in front of the frame6. A guide 7 is preferably cast integral with the bar 3 and extends in avertical direction, and said guide is provided with a slot 8. Alatch-bar 9 is'pivoted at 10 to one end of the rigid bar 3, and said barnormally extends in a horizontal direction and projects through the slot8 of the guide. The free end of this latch-bar is turned outwardly at 11and from said outward turn extends laterally at 12, so as to have aposition in front of but spaced from the frame 6, as can be clearly seenin Fig. 2. The extreme outer end of this latch-bar when in the normalhorizontal position will lie in aplane just above the slot 5 in therigid bar 3. A stem 13 extends freely through a hole in the rigid bar 3and also through the door 1, and each end of said stem is provided witha suitable knob 14, by which the stem may be turned or rotated. Securedto this stem so as to have position just beneath the bottom edge of thelatch-bar is a plate 15, which when the knobs and stem are rotated willcause the latch-bar to be moved vertically on its pivot 10.

All of the devices heretofore described are attached to and move withthe door or gate.

Secured rigidly to the frame 6 is a casing or housing 16, which isprovided with a recess 17 and also has a vertical slot 18 in its outerwall 19. The lower end of the casing recess and slot are open. Ahorizontal slot 20 is provided in the rear wall 21 of the casingplate,and this latter slot is just beneath the lower end of the vertical slot18 in the outer wall. A staple 22 is rigidly secured to the casing-platebelow the slot 20, and said staple projects outwardly beneath the lowerend of recess 17 and vertical slot 18.

Beneath the casing or housing and secured to the frame 6 is avertically-disposed leafspring 23, whose upper end 24 is turned inwardlyand has position at the open end of the casing-recess 17. This free endof the spring projects through the staple 22 and is movable therein.

A bolt 25 has position in the casing-recess 17, and said bolt isprovided at one side with a portion in the present instance in the formof a vertical flange or rib 26, which projects through the vertical slot18 in the front wall of the casing. This projection 26 does not extendto the lower end 27 of the bolt, but terminates at a point above saidend.

When the door or gate is closed, the end 12 of the pivoted latch-bar 9will have position against the bottom edge 28 of the projection 26 onthe bolt, and when the latch-bar is operated by turning the knob 14 thebolt will be moved vertically in the recess 17.

It will be noted that the inturned end 24 of the leaf-spring 23 servesto sustain the bolt 25 in the elevated position when the door or gate isopen, and when the door or gate is closed this inturned end 24 will passthrough the slot in the casing-plate and I enter a recess 29 in theframe 6 at the rear of said casing-plate, as seen in Figs. 2, 3, and 4.

In the operation of the latch, supposing the door or gate to be closed,as in Fig. 1, the turning of the knob 14 will cause the free end 12 ofthe latch-bar to be elevated and the bolt to be moved'vertically, sothat the lower end 27 of the bolt will be withdrawn from the staple 22.When the bolt is thus withdrawn, the door may be swung open, because theslotted end of the bar 8 can pass off from the staple. As this bar 3moves outwardly the inturned end 24 of the leaf-spring will follow closebehind it, so that when the end 12 of the bar disengages from theprojection 26 of the bolt the inturned end of the spring will bedirectly beneath the bolt, and thus sustain it in the elevated positionwhile the door is open, as clearly seen in Fig. 5.

When closing the door or gate, it is unnecessary to turn the knob 14,and the mere slamming of the door to the closed osition will cause theslotted end 4 of the ar 3 to pass over the staple 22 and in passing oversaid bar to push the inturned end 24 of the leaf-spring from beneath thebolt and into the slot at the rear, and as the slotted end of saidbar 3passes to the rear of the bolt the latter will drop into staple and holdthe door closed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a latch the combination with a stationary bar on the door, of apivoted latch bar also on the door; a staple on the frame; a boltmovable through the staple, and a leaf spring at the lower end of thebolt for sustaining the latter in the retracted position while the dooris open.

2. In a latch the combination with a slot ted bar on the door, of alatch-bar pivoted at the side of the said slotted bar; a staple on theframe with which the slotted bar en gages; a bolt movable through thestaple and in front of the slotted bar and a movable device operated bythe slotted bar to release the bolt.

3. In a latch the combination with a slotted bar on the door, of alatch-bar pivoted at the side of the slotted bar; a staple on the framewith which the slotted bar engages; a bolt havin a projection at oneside with which the atch-bar contacts to retract the bolt, and ayielding support for holding the bolt while the latter is in theretracted position.

4. In a latch the combination with a stationary bar, on the door, of apivoted latchbar also on the door; a casing having a recess; a boltmovable in said casing-recess; a staple below said casing-recess, and amovable device between the staple and recess for sustaining the bolt inthe retracted position.

5. In a latch the combination with a stationary bar on the door, of apivoted latohbar also on the door and at the side of the stationary bar;means whereby the latch-bar may be moved vertically; a casing on theframe and having a bolt-recess; a bolt movable in said casing and havinga rojection at one side with which the latch-bar may engage; a staplebelow the casing and bolt, and a leaf-spring projecting through thestaple to sustain the bolt in the retracted position when the door isopen.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH BROADBELT.

Witnesses:

CHARLES B. MANN, Jr., J. ROLAND BRADY.

